Latest news with #healthjourney
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
I barely touch even a drop of alcohol but I was diagnosed with liver disease - this is what I'm doing to reverse it
A woman diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in her thirties has revealed the steps she is taking to try and reverse the disease—and they're all related to her diet. NAFLD is caused by a build-up of fat in the liver, and is usually diagnosed in people who are overweight or obese. However, while liver disease is usually associated with heavy drinking, excessive alcohol consumption is not a cause for NAFLD, it is primarily connected to lifestyle factors—and that means it can be reversed. Niki Nash, 36, from Swansea in Wales, posted a video to her TikTok account @nikkin1988, listing the foods she is cutting out in the hopes of getting her liver back to full health. She told her 27,700 followers: 'Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is just a build up of fat in your liver. 'It's nothing to do with alcohol. Hence, by the name, however, limiting or reducing alcohol completely will help. 'This is usually found in people who are overweight to I'm not classed as overweight or obese. Mine is all to do with my diet. 'So to reverse the condition, you need to limit salt, you need to limit fat, such as processed food, takeaways, McDonald's, etc, and eliminate sugar from your diet as much as possible. 'This is probably my biggest factor of why I've got the disease I am addicted to sugar.' Alongside making vital changes to her diet she, she has also taken up doing 30 minutes of daily exercise. This she said: 'It will significantly increase the chances of it being reversed.' She added: 'And if you smoke, stop smoking, because that doesn't help either.' Her final tip for other people with a NAFLD diagnosis was to increase their fruit and vegetable intake—something which Chinese researchers previously found can help reverse the condition. In the video she added: 'There isn't any medication that you can take to help. Either, it's just all through a diet, health and lifestyle.' Replying to one follower, she said that she was diagnosed after having a liver function test (LFT) and ultrasound, and that she also has an autoimmune condition which affects the organ. While early stage NAFLD does not usually cause any harm, it can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis if it gets worse. The potentially life-threatening later stage condition cirrhosis is when the organ is scarred, resulting in permanent damage. After posting the video, she received lots of comments from social media users going through similar experiences. One user said: 'I've just been told I've got a fatty liver when investigating something else. 'I blame my lack of inactivity and diet since switching to working from home. I just switched my diet up and now waiting...' Another user commented: 'I have NAFLD not been told what stage it is. Mine was incidental finding on an ultrasound scan. I've done lifestyle changes like you guys.' Meanwhile a third wrote: 'I'm due a scan this weekend. I've lost nearly six stone since I was told, fingers crossed this helps.' A fourth user said: 'I'm eating loads of veg, salad, fruit, chicken, tuna and wholemeal bread, [and] sugar free jelly. 'I'm three stone down since Dec awaiting a date my next scan, hopefully before Dec again.' They are among millions of people in the UK living with the condition in its early stages, which affects one in five people. Early signs include a dull or aching pain in the top right side of the tummy, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss and weakness. If you have cirrhosis, you can get more severe symptoms like the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice). Other signs of the late stage of the condition are itchy skin as well as swelling in the legs, ankles, feet or tummy. The condition is often diagnosed after a blood test called a liver function test, but they don't always pick up NAFLD. It may also be spotted during an ultrasound, as described by some of the social media users. If you've been diagnosed with NAFLD, further tests may be needed to determine which stage you have. This can be a special blood test or having another type of ultrasound scan such as a Fibroscan. It follows a recent study that revealed the proportion of liver cancers linked to NAFLD also known as MASH is expected to more than double, from 5 per cent in 2022 to 11 per cent in 2050. Meanwhile the number of cases caused the most common cause of the deadly disease—the hepatitis B virus—are set to decline. Concerningly the researchers predicted that new liver cancer cases worldwide will jump from 870,000 in 2022 to 1.52 million by 2050. And annual deaths from the disease are set to rise from 760,000 to 1.37 million over the same period.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Being pregnant and chronically ill means holding space for both worry and wonder
First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at There's a quiet magic in seeing your baby move on the screen for the first time – the flicker of a heartbeat, the flutter of tiny limbs. That image, grainy and surreal, felt like a quiet declaration: you're not alone in your body any more. Pregnancy, especially with a chronic illness, is never just joy. It's joy braided with fear. I live with IgA nephropathy, a chronic kidney disease that, in some cases, can progress to kidney failure. Since February, 2023, my health has been at the centre of my life. Managing my energy, tracking symptoms, preparing for diagnostics and dealing with dreaded 24-hour urine tests (which involve collecting all of your urine for an entire day, I do them almost monthly) – it became a full-time job. When I was first diagnosed, the idea of becoming a parent felt abstract at best and impossible at worst. To be stable and six months pregnant today feels like nothing short of a gift. In fact, my health has been better than expected. My kidney function hasn't declined and some of my levels are actually better than they were before pregnancy. I'm grateful for every day my body continues to co-operate. I know others in similar situations don't always get that kind of grace. I carry that knowledge with me and it humbles me daily. First Person: Our daughter's arrival filled us with joy. Becoming fathers had never been a given I think about the future a lot more now; not just mine, but my child's. What happens if my health takes a turn in five, 10 or 15 years? How do I care for a small human while managing a body that doesn't always keep pace? Chronic illness forces you to live with a certain low-grade vigilance, a readiness for symptoms to reappear or escalate. I worry that this mental space – which used to be reserved just for me – will now be shared, perhaps unequally, with the needs of a child who will rely on me completely. I also think about logistics. What happens if I need to start dialysis? What if I require a transplant one day? Concerns like this wouldn't only disrupt my own life, but also my child's school pickups, birthday parties and bedtime routines. Parenthood doesn't press pause for health crises. And then, there's the guilt. There is evidence suggesting IgA nephropathy may have a genetic component, and I wake up at 2 a.m. wondering if my child will one day sit across from a doctor and hear the same diagnosis. The idea that I may have passed on something so life-altering is deeply unsettling. Of course, no parent can guarantee perfect health, but when you know the physical and emotional toll of a condition like this, it's hard not to feel responsible. Having this disease has shaped the way I planned my days, my years, my entire sense of possibility. But pregnancy has disrupted that rhythm. My focus now extends beyond myself. There's a strange kind of freedom in that. For the first time in a long time, I'm not the sole centre of my care. There's someone else to think about – someone whose well-being matters even more than mine. That shift, while terrifying, also feels like a relief. I don't want my life to orbit around test results forever. I don't want to be consumed by what-ifs. First Person: This extraordinary gift from a living organ donor has changed my life Pregnancy has also brought joy. Real joy. I've spent so much of the past year and a half since my diagnosis managing loss – the loss of a future I thought I had, the loss of certainty, the loss of feeling in control of my body. Now, I get to build something again; someone, really. My life is expanding instead of contracting. That's not to say I'm unafraid or naive about what's ahead. I'm capable of holding both – the fear and the joy, the worry and the wonder. I think that's what motherhood is, in the end: learning to hold conflicting truths and still move forward with love. I know there will be challenges going forward. I know I'll have to learn to balance caring for myself with caring for someone else. For now, I focus on the good days. I let myself imagine my child laughing. I picture bedtime stories, muddy shoes and the mess of a life built with someone small. I let myself believe that maybe there's more waiting for me than I ever thought possible. And that belief – shaky, complicated, hard-won – is the strongest I've felt in years. Christina Mangiola lives in Toronto.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lizzo Boldly Flaunts Her Extreme Weight Loss As She Declares It's 'Back Fat Summer' In A Backless Gown
Lizzo continues to embrace her curves and celebrate her transformation as she recently shared a stunning shot of herself during a Paris getaway. The singer has opened up about her evolving relationship with food and how switching to a protein-rich diet after struggling with stomach issues and low energy aided her weight loss journey. Lizzo also admitted that she once tried using Ozempic, but ditched it in favour of losing weight the hard way by exercising and dieting. Lizzo Stuns In Metallic Gown During Paris Getaway, Declares: 'Issa Back Fat Summer' Lizzo turned heads with sultry new photos on Instagram showing off her curves in a body-hugging metallic gown during her Parisian escape. The 37-year-old music sensation stunned in the figure-flattering champagne dress as she posed confidently on a rooftop with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Facing away from the camera, the "About Damn Time" hitmaker proudly flaunted her back rolls in one shot, before revealing the front side of her glittering outfit in the other snaps. The singer captioned the carousel in her usual bold style: "Issa back fat summer." Fans Commend Lizzo For Flaunting A 'Real' Body Amid Her Weight Loss Fans of the singer flooded her comment section with posts praising her for her bold photos and her inspiring weight loss journey. One person joked, "Is that an Eiffel tower in the background or is France just happy to see you?" Another commented, "You are gorgeous and you always have been and you always will be. Your weight is irrelevant. Your attitude and your voice are what set you apart from everyone else." Lizzo has been soaking up the Parisian summer, having posted earlier snaps in the same spot wearing a skimpy cream crop top and matching shorts, striking carefree poses with the City of Light as her backdrop. The Paris getaway follows Lizzo's recent revelation about her "complicated relationship" with food and the journey behind her noticeable weight loss transformation. In a candid video shared earlier this month, the Grammy-winning artist offered fans a glimpse into her new lifestyle and eating habits. Lizzo Gets Real About Her Complicated Relationship With Food And How A Japanese Diet Changed Everything Speaking to Women's Health Magazine for their "Fuel Like" series, Lizzo admitted that her connection with food has been anything but simple. "My relationship with eating has evolved so much," she shared. "We've had highs and we've had lows. Like it's a very complicated relationship. Um, there have been times when I have undernourished myself. There have been times when I was binging. I feel like right now in my life, when I intuitively eat and listen to my body, that always works out for me." The singer went on to explain that a period of persistent stomach issues and low energy led her to reintroduce animal protein into her diet. "I had a period where I was experiencing a lot of like stomach pain and stomach issues," the singer revealed. "So my trainer at the time, he noticed my diet, and he was like, you know, I highly suggest a Japanese diet." Lizzo continued: "When I had the opportunity to go to Japan for the first time, I was like, 'All right, let's put our toe in the water with a country whose food I know is very, very clean.' And I started eating animal proteins over there. And I felt incredible." The Singer Reveals Her Daily Diet And Health Routine Behind Weight Loss Transformation During the interview, Lizzo also opened up about the lifestyle changes that led to her transformation. Her daily meals now center around lean proteins and vegetables. For breakfast, she keeps things simple and protein-packed with two scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, and a cauliflower-based hash brown. For lunch, Lizzo alternates between three staple meals: a shredded Thai chicken salad, tuna lettuce wraps, or sliced chicken breast. Dinner, however, is where she sticks to routine. Her go-to evening meal includes turkey meatloaf, cauliflower, mashed potatoes, and green beans. She also eats dinner early, usually before 5 p.m., for a specific reason. "I have GERD [gastroesophageal reflux disease], so my body needs time to digest food before I go to sleep, so acid doesn't roll up to my throat," she explained. Lizzo Opens Up About Ozempic Use And Weight Loss Journey: 'It's Not Cheating' Back in June, Lizzo got candid about her brief experience with Ozempic, revealing that she began using the GLP-1 medication at the start of her weight loss journey in 2023. While the drug initially helped curb her appetite, she soon realized it wasn't a long-term solution that aligned with her personal goals. "I tried everything," she said, per The Blast. "Ozempic works because you eat less food, yeah? So if you eat right, it makes you feel full. But if you can just do that on your own and get mind over matter, it's the same thing." Although she chose to stop taking the medication early on, the "Truth Hurts" singer made it clear that she doesn't judge others who use it as a tool for weight management. "It's not easy," Lizzo stated. "It's a drug to help somebody with something they're struggling with." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I'm a wellness writer, and I get overwhelmed by health advice, too. Here is how I prioritize
After a long day of work, I climb onto the couch to make plans for the rest of the week, and my mind buzzes with everything I could put on my priority list. I should spend less time on social media, but it is also good to stay connected to long-distance friends. I need to drink water regularly, but does my tap water have endocrine-disrupting chemicals? Eating leftovers rather than restaurant meals is healthier, but I shouldn't store food in plastic because I need to reduce my exposure to microplastics. I hate running, but I should give it a try. Will that one carrot salad that influencers like really make a big difference in my nutrition? What is a wellness writer to do? If I am overwhelmed by all the ways to improve wellness — and it's my job — I am sure you could be, too. Here is what I have learned about finding the balance. Wellness changes to make first One of the most valuable pieces of advice I have received when it comes to wellness is 'first things first.' It is tempting to look for ways to cut sugar and salt out of my diet when I read a study on their health impacts or to spend the whole day researching the chemicals used in my homewares to see whether I should replace them. But then I am reminded to focus on the most immediate things. Am I eating enough? Am I sleeping well? Did I get some good movement in my day? Have I seen my friends and family? If the answer to any of those things is no, or even a not really, then nothing else is important to me. It is better that I make sure I am eating a meal that nourishes me than that I nitpick the calories or contents. It is better to sleep soundly and peacefully than to stress all night about microplastics. It is better to spend time laughing with people I care about than to sit in a room filled with red light panels. These aren't just my personal priorities. Regular exercise, good sleep and a balanced, plant-based diet have consistently shown to be key in a healthy, long life. And more evidence is pointing to the quality of social connections being an important aspect of longevity as well. (My colleagues wrote those stories.) Once those foundational bases are covered, then you and I can move on to fine-tuning the nutrition, exercise, products and wellness practices that make up our lives. Find the easy swaps that make a big impact Let's say you have those essential aspects of your life mostly managed, and you are ready to get more detailed in your wellness. Making changes often takes time, effort and money. There is a lot of research that many of the products commonly found in homes contain potentially dangerous chemicals such as PFAS or endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The class of chemicals known as PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are sometimes called 'forever chemicals' because they don't fully break down in the environment and are commonly found in household products. They are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, according to the Endocrine Society. Chemicals in PFAS categories have been linked with cancers, endocrine-related conditions and developmental delays in children. It may not be realistic to get rid of everything in your home and start from scratch. Instead, find ways to make a reasonable change that can have a big impact. For example, finding a good water filter is one step that can address endocrine-disrupting chemicals, PFAS and other potential contaminants. The Environmental Working Group also has a tap water database so that people can search their drinking-water quality by ZIP code and use a water filtration guide to pick a system that is right for them. NSF, formerly the National Sanitation Foundation, also has a list of recommended filters. If you are hoping to change some personal care or other home products, start with the things to which you aren't particularly attached, said Dr. Alexa Friedman, a senior scientist on the healthy living team at the Environmental Working Group, in an earlier article. Friedman has curly hair, so she prefers a certain shampoo and conditioner, but she said there are other personal care products in which she might not notice as much of a loss if she were to switch to those with lower levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Plenty of reputable online databases are available to the public to search for safer personal care products, such as developed by allergists and dermatologists with the Mayo Clinic, and Skin Deep from the Environmental Working Group, said Dr. Michael Bloom, a professor of global and community health at George Mason University's College of Public Health in Fairfax, Virginia. Make sustainable changes a little at a time Nutrition and exercise are other wellness categories in which an abundance of good guidance also creates plenty of ways to make you feel overwhelmed. How you eat. The Mediterranean diet, which focuses on plants, healthy fat sources, whole grains and lean proteins such as fish, nuts and legumes, has consistently ranked as one of the healthiest dietary patterns and has been linked to many health benefits. Studies have also shown the importance of reducing sodium and sugar for longer lives with less risk of chronic disease. How you move. Likewise, exercise has been linked to better mental health, lower risk of cognitive decline and reduction in chronic diseases. Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and two days of strength training a week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But if all you can do now is get a couple of thousand more steps in your day, 10 minutes of exercise or more beans in your diet, those are good places to start, experts say. How to create a habit. The most sustainable way to alter diet and exercise habits is to do so in slow, manageable steps, according to a 2017 study. Adding something into your day — exercise, nutrients or even more sleep — takes willpower, which you can wrestle into place in the short term but isn't a good strategy for long-term change, said Katy Milkman, the James G. Dinan Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. But good habits and a well-established routine can help you make the choices you are trying to stick to, Milkman pointed out earlier. Try making small additions of health-promoting behaviors — even just one change a week to make it stick — to what you are already doing rather than scrapping all your habits and starting from scratch. As for me, I am going to keep adding to my small exercise routine next week. And I promise to come back and keep sharing the little changes that can make a big difference so you can try next. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
Shelly Horton on the dark truth about perimenopause
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrity Life. Followed categories will be added to My News. When Shelly Horton found herself in hospital with heavy bleeding in 2020, it never crossed her mind that her symptoms might have been due to perimenopause. The TV journalist hadn't even heard the word before, so she didn't connect it with the raft of physical and mental changes she had been experiencing at the time, including heart palpitations, heightened body temperature, brain fog and debilitating depression. Instead, the now 51-year-old had been told by doctors that she might have cancer, and was sent for an ultrasound – which revealed nothing. 'They said, 'Great news, you haven't got cancer. You must be stressed, and maybe you should take up a hobby,'' Horton recalls. 'I drove home in tears, blaming myself. I didn't go and see another doctor for nine months.' Media personality Shelly Horton has opened up about her health journey through perimenopause. Picture: Daniel Nadel for Stellar It was only when she spoke to her friend, menopause expert Dr Ginni Mansberg – who she first met while appearing on the Seven Network's breakfast show Sunrise in 2008 – that Horton was able to make sense of her suffering. Before that defining conversation, she hadn't considered herself in the target market. 'I thought menopause was for women in their late 50s, [when] their period stopped and they got hot flushes,' she recalls. 'I had that stereotype in my brain of grey-haired old ladies clutching their pearls and fanning themselves. 'I was like, 'I'm a fox. I'm way too young and fabulous.' 'I didn't understand that perimenopause can last for 10 years so, in fact, I was right in the average age group.' 'I didn't understand why anyone cared about my uterus and what I did with it.' Picture: Daniel Nadel for Stellar Once she got the right help and started to feel better, Horton got mad. Specifically about the menopause cone of silence, which perpetuates the poor treatment options and dearth of knowledge for women. 'We've been taught by our mothers and past generations that it's just women's problems so you keep it to yourself,' she tells Stellar. 'A heads-up would have been nice. I felt like the sisterhood had let me down. Secret women's business holds women back. This whole 'soldier on' of the Boomer generation, I'm like, 'No, I'm Gen X. We're going to get loud about this.'' In 2023, Horton shared her experience at the first parliamentary roundtable on menopause, alongside respected experts, in what was the first time 'menopause' had been mentioned inside the Parliament of Australia. It sparked a Senate inquiry, and Horton inadvertently became a spokesperson on the subject. Listen to a new episode of the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About below, featuring US author and podcaster Glennon Doyle: The Today Extra panellist reveals how she got through 'dark times' and rebuilt herself. Picture: Supplied It wasn't the first time that Horton had found herself leading the charge on destigmatising taboo topics for women. In 2013, when she wrote about her decision to stay child free, she copped a pile-on from dissenters and was trolled on social media. But she takes heart in knowing her words started a national conversation. 'I had comments like, 'A woman who doesn't want kids is not a real woman. She's a waste of a uterus.' It was awful,' she recalls. 'I didn't understand why anyone cared about my uterus and what I did with it.' As the TV presenter sees it, one of the many upsides of being child-free is having the freedom and funds to travel as she wishes. She and her husband Darren Robinson – who she met 'the old-fashioned way' in a bar in 2012 – renew their vows in every country they visit. In 10 years of marriage, that's 25 vow renewals. 'Sometimes it's been incredibly romantic, like in the Maldives with the sunset. Then we nearly forgot in Iceland and did it on the plane as we were taking off,' she says, laughing. The couple also run a production company together, Robinson behind the camera ('the workhorse') and Horton in front ('the show pony'). They share their home with rescue dogs Mr Barkley and Maui, whom Horton describes as a salve during her three years of depression. 'My wonderful husband would put me to bed and hand me a puppy.' Adhering to her own motto of 'adapt or die', Horton's career trajectory has been, as she puts it, eclectic. She was a producer for Entertainment Tonight in the US, a crime then health reporter for the ABC, a Sydney gossip columnist, a panellist on Today Extra, and host of Married At First Sight's spin-off TV show Talking Married. It's all a long way from home for the girl from Kingaroy in regional Queensland. Or, as she puts it, 'From the red soil to the red carpet.' Now she can add author to the list since she has documented her harrowing menopause experience – along with evidence-based advice from experts – in a book to support other women going through it. Despite enduring all the turmoils of menopause, Horton says the experience has also helped her. 'I wish I could just say, 'Slap on some HRT [hormone replacement therapy], you'll be fine,' but it's not as simple as that,' she explains. 'I had to do the work. I'd treated my body as a rental. I had to have the appointments with the psychiatrist. I had to change my lifestyle, improve my sleep, increase my exercise. I'm living proof that you can go through dark times and come out. Perimenopause broke me, but then I rebuilt me.' I'm Your Peri Godmother by Shelly Horton (Murdoch Books, $34.99) is out Tuesday. For more from Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here.
